Can an Atheist still celebrate Christmas? And want Christmas presents?

[Placebo]

Because I am a flaaaaaaaaaming atheist, but I still love celebrating Christmas and more importantly, drawing up a looooooong Christmas list and getting lots of presents! :party:

[LittleClarkie]

1. Sure, why not?

Celebrate your friends and good cheer.

And presents.

[Fenris]

2. Yuletide, son. It's an old Norse celebration.

That's what I celebrate.

[WindRavenX]

3. It's not Christmas. It's Festivus!

Same lights. Same presents- only secular and more awesome! :toast:

[arcane1]

8. Festivus for the rest of us!!!

:thumbsup:

[WindRavenX]

9. Damn skippy!

AND- THE FEATS OF STRENGTH!!!
Best. Holiday. EVAAAH!!! :party:

[laheina]

4. and besides...

...isn't that where X-mas came from?

[YellowRubberDuckie]

5. Christmas has become a celebration of the Winter Solstice...

there are so many pagan traditions behind it, it's unreal. Take the Christmas Tree. It was originally a German tradition. Make it what you want it to be. Be thankful for what you've got. Love your family and friends. That's the point of the season anyway. :)
Duckie

[arwalden]

6. I Do... Lots Of Decorations, Lots Of Gifts... Candles In The Window

(Carols at the Spinnet) Live tree with vintage decorations... holly garland, mistletoe, wreaths, lead-weight icicles, bubble lights, lots of Santa figurines, little train set, snowy village, stockings (but no angel on the treetop, and no Baby Jeebuses or Virgin Marys!)

[arcane1]

7. look at it this way..

Xmas comes at a time when the sun it out for the least amount of time of the year... it gets dark early, and there is little else to do but chill at home with loved-ones. Why not use that time to give gifts to those you love, while spending most of your time indoors with said loved-ones?

[yellowdogintexas]

10. apparantly so, since my husband, a professed non believer

loves Christmas and even goes to Candlelight with me on Christmas Eve because he loves the music and the beauty of the service.

[Az]

11. Absolutely

I just celebrate the birth of Socrates. Who like Jesus we don't know when he was born. And the statues of Socrates addressing the senate on our lawn confuse the daylights out of the fundies.

[Placebo]

12. Hehe, that's hillarious.

"Hey! That's not the baby Jesus!"

[progressoid]

13. Wow, where did you get that statue? Sounds like a x-mas present

for the wife!

[Seldona]

14. I do.

Although it is mostly in my children's interest.

Could not deny them thier excitement and presents simply because I believe it is based on utter nonsense.

So I play along and dress up as Santa, etc...

I look forward to it actually.

[Seabiscuit]

15. Sounds like you're just greedy.

[Placebo]

18. Me and pretty much everyone who responded to this thread.

;)

[Az]

19. I'm an atheist that grooves on giving gifts

Lets see if we can figure out how Christmas traditions figure into Christian mythos.

Lets see here. Xmas trees... er not exactly desert fare.

Snow.... again that desert thing.

Gift giving? Lots of cultural practices exchange gifts.

Yule logs? Got news for the Fundamentalists out there but Yule logs are a pagan fertility thing.

Look. Christmas was originally a local custom to northern pagan religions. It celebrated various seasonal aspects of theif beliefs. It brought people together during a time of chill and snow. It is and always has been a holiday for family and friends to drive away the cold.

The Catholic church in an attempt to usurp local customs dropped the birth of Jesus on the holiday and took it over as they did so many other holidays.

[Nomad559]

16. Take the Christmas Quiz

Christmas Quiz
http://www.hedning.no/hedning/arkiv/flash/xmas.html

The Jesus Test
http://www.hedning.no/hedning/arkiv/flash/jesus.html

Download it as an executable file
http://www.hedning.no/hedning/arkiv/flash/index.html

From the Norwegian Heathen Society
http://www.hedning.no/hedning/e-index.html

[Placebo]

17. I love those!

Thank you so much, I'm sending them to all my peoples. :smoke: